Is silence the best form of communication?
In advance of the Catholic church’s World Communications Day, yesterday Pope Benedict gave an interesting address reflecting on the role of the internet and social networks in our world. He argued that there were considerable benefits and potential to social networks, but also warned of their limitations.
In today’s already busy world, he worried that the internet can produce relentless chatter:
“Search engines and social networks have become the starting point of communication for many people who are seeking advice, ideas, information and answers. In our time, the internet is becoming ever more a forum for questions and answers – indeed, people today are frequently bombarded with answers to questions they have never asked and to needs of which they were unaware.”
But, there can be huge pluses too:
“Ultimately, this constant flow of questions demonstrates the restlessness of human beings, ceaselessly searching for truths, of greater or lesser import, that can offer meaning and hope to their lives.”
Interestingly he then argued the cases for specific forms of communication, hinting that potentially Twitter has a significant role to play:
“Attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God. In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives.”
The greatest advantage of the internet and social networks, however can be found if it is balanced with time for contemplation and reflection. For an address based upon the subject of communication, Pope Benedict dedicated much of his time on the benefits of silence. In his view silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. For only through silence are any of us better able to listen to and understand ourselves. It is in the space that silence provides that ideas come to birth and acquire depth and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself. It is then that space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible.
For he believes: “It is often in silence, for example, that we observe the most authentic communication taking place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other. Joy, anxiety, and suffering can all be communicated in silence – indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression. Silence, then, gives rise to even more active communication, requiring sensitivity and a capacity to listen that often makes manifest the true measure and nature of the relationships involved.”
So, what do you think? Can communication best be helped by networks such as Twitter, or does silence provide the best form of interaction?
Read all of Pope Benedict’s address at http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/28688.php?index=28688&lang=en#TRADUZIONE%20IN%20LINGUA%20INGLESE
